Don’t have money for therapy? Few online resources for mental health

Last updated on January 19, 2024

Don’t have money for therapy? few online resources for mental health

Mental health problems are a growing concern in the United States and other developed nations. According to the National Association of Mental Illness, one in five Americans suffers from mental illness in a given year. One in 25 Americans suffers from a severe mental illness that leads to chronic physical health problems, social or occupational impairment, or even requires institutionalization in a psychiatric facility.

Certain mental health problems can and should be treated with medication. Medication is the only way to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and many other serious mental health problems.  However, psychotropic drugs aren’t beneficial to everyone. Many people are better off seeking therapy to cope with their problems.

Unfortunately, mental health counseling is expensive. Health insurance providers don’t always cover it. Even if they do, the patient still has to pay a co-pay of $20 or more. Margarita Tartakovsky, a social worker, and writer for Psych Central says this is outside the budget of many people, even if they have insurance. Tartakovsky states that the average therapist charges between $100 to $250 an hour.

A Related Note on Mesthelioma 

“One of the biggest reasons people don’t seek therapy is money. People look at a therapist’s hourly rates — which might range from $100 to $250 — and immediately assume they can’t afford professional help. So they stop there.”

The good news is there are plenty of great resources that can help you out. Here are a few that I recommend.

Happify

Negative thoughts and stress are among the leading causes of mental health problems. You need to monitor them carefully and try to keep them in check.

Happify it’s a great app that can help you out. It provides a lot of cool games and activities that help you destress.

HeadSpace

Meditation is a great way to manage stress. According to WebMD, meditating for as little as 20 minutes a day can drastically improve your physical and mental health.

The trick is knowing where to start. We didn’t take any meditation classes while we were in school. Fortunately, there are other places where you can learn.

HeadSpace is A great app for anyone that wants to learn to meditate. It provides dozens of lessons for both novice and experienced meditators.

Various Online Forums

It’s helpful to have tools to help you manage your stress. However, sometimes the best medicine is simply an open ear. Talking about your problems with someone else can help you feel a lot better. They can also give you some perspective so you don’t take any drastic actions you shouldn’t.

However, sometimes it’s difficult to confide in a friend or family member. If you can’t afford a therapist, you can try participating in online forum discussions instead. There are a number of great forums for people struggling with mental health problems, such as:

• OK2talk (a forum for people that need a little encouragement for any type of problem, minor or severe)
• PTSD central (for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder)
• Psych central (where people can talk to anyone suffering from a related mental illness)
• After silence (A forum for all victims of sexual abuse)
• Make Survivor (A great resource for men that have suffered from physical, emotional or sexual abuse)
• Wrong planet (A forum dedicated to serving people suffering from autism and Asperger’s syndrome)

Whatever mental health problems you are suffering from, there are plenty of resources to help you. Talking with other people helps see you in a variety of ways:

• You know that you are not alone.
• You can receive helpful coping tips from people that have been in the same situation.
• You have a chance to vent and get condolences from others that can empathize with your situation.

All of these forums are free. Many of them are moderated by mental health professionals, so you can get valuable treatment without paying a lot of money

Consider Journalling

An interesting (and even creative) way to deal with heightened levels of stress or just generally feeling “overwhelmed” on a daily basis, is to journal your thoughts and events at the beginning and ends of each day.

Taking just 5 minutes to get your thoughts/stresses/concerns/anxieties out each day has been shown to really help alleviate mental strain in many cases.

It’s worth giving this a shot. You can get yourself a written journal from your local stationary store and start writing. Or if you don’t have the time/patience for writing, then you can even use your smartphone as a vlogging camera to create a daily video journal for your eyes only.

Ultimately, there are fewer things in life more important than taking care of your own mental health. So don’t neglect it or push it down and feel like you are doomed to live a life of only reacting to the world around you. Take control and use the many resources at your fingertips waiting to help you.